Suspenseful and full of danger, this story tells of a Jewish family in post-world War II Prague. After Jonas Finkel's father is arrested and taken from his home in the middle of the night, the family hears no news of him for many months and their fortunes rapidly decline. "Bourgeois tendencies" are rumored to be the reason for the arrest but anti-Semitism seems more likely. Jonas is not allowed to attend school and his mother eventually loses the right to tutor students in French. They eventually get word of Dr. Finkel from another prisoner. The graphical images aid the text in relaying the intense paranoia and fear during this time and place. Who can you trust? No one? It is the story of a boy who grows up all too soon; cares for his frantic, grieving mother; and fights off wave after wave of prejudice.